Will Schube’s fit game is miles ahead of the curve.
Before you even had a chance to neglect your new year resolutions, Az Chike was dropping new hits. On the first day of this new decade, Chike dropped “Advanced,” a mesmerizing dart situated around a loopy piano line and a darker side of Chike’s dexterous flow. It’s still the LA bounce Chike’s used to become one of the city’s hottest rappers, but there’s an introspection in his voice that rarely accompanies his lighter bars. Maybe it’s projection. With the city unspeakably devastated over the loss of its favorite son, everything sounds a little sadder, a little more somber. But “Advanced” shows a side of Chike that he doesn’t always offer up.
The formula is the same as it’s ever been with Chike. He unleashes a torrent of one liners and tightly-wound stanzas that sketch a portrait of the artist as a ladies man and street hero. Both things are decidedly true, but even if they weren’t, Chike’s flow is laced with enough confidence to fuel three men lying about their incomes on a first date. The video is typical studio fare, with Chike drinking and smoking the usual suspects, rocking a pair of E-40 inspired glasses. Much like the Bay Area legend, Chike’s music now carries a characteristic unshakable from the city that raised him. Whether he’s spitting over weeping pianos or rumbling 808s and cackling snares, AZ Chike’s sound is unmistakable. It’s unimpeachable, too.
